2012 Holiday Gift Ideas

I know some of you reading weren’t born before 1992, but for the rest of us…..ahhh, indeed!

That means, Home alone 1 was created 22 years ago.

Ummm….stop that. Stop it right now.

Eric and I were innocently watching our beloved Home Alone 2 last night when some kid came on and ruined the whole thing by telling us how far away we are from 10 years old now. lalala la la la lalala la la. I probably would’ve guessed the movie was 10 years old. I’m in time warp, clearly. Eric is also in denial. Live on, VHS, live on.

Sobering fact number two: It’s December 3rd!

Did you wake up Saturday morning in a bit of a shock? December always sneaks up on us, much like the twenty year anniversary of Home Alone 2. What can ya do. It’s time to get down to business!

I’ve put together my annual holiday gift ideas post highlighting some of my favourite gifts all in one cozy spot. It’s always worth repeating that I do not have an affiliation with any of the brands listed below nor are any of the links affiliates. I simply enjoy these products/services and think you might too!

These jars are my go-to for gift-giving my homemade nut butters. They are just so darn cute and come in mini 4.5oz all the way up to 26oz.

2. Oven Thermometre {try Kitchen Stuff Plus or Canadian Tire, $5}

Do you reeeeally know the true temperature of your oven? And do you reeeeally think it’s preheated correctly when it beeps to tell you it is? Odds are it’s not. My oven temp is way off so I keep this handy guy hanging in there at all times. Once you know, you can’t un-know, if you know what I mean. Find them at Canadian Tire, Kitchen Stuff Plus, or other home good stores. This would make a great stocking stuffer for the home cook!

My thoughtful father-in-law subscribed me to this magazine last year and I must say I have enjoyed every single issue. It’s a great gift for vegetarians, vegans, or those just looking to live a healthy, compassionate lifestyle.

Is there anything better than a nesting bowl set? I had no idea that’s what they are called, but it’s good to know. It’s perfect for the neat freak who is short on storage. That’s me, minus the neat freak part. Truth be told, I have some nesting bowls and I somehow manage to un-nest them in my cabinet. It drives Eric craaazy.

Doesn’t Anthro have the coolest gifts? It’s always one of the first places I look when I need a unique gift for a friend. Whatever you do, check out Anthro’s sale room before you buy anything full price! You can score some amazing deals up to 70% off.

Why not give back to our wonderful earth during the holidays? Trees Ontario will plant 10 trees for a $25 donation. You can donate them in someone’s honour too. We are doing this this year since we are purchasing a real tree and thought it would be a good tradition to start. If you are outside of Ontario, simply google a similar organization in your own area. There are lots!

I spotted these at Whole Foods and promptly fell in love with the Thai Lemongrass scent (among others). I hear the Mediterranean Fig is a great winter scent, but I haven’t tried it yet. You can read about how Brook and Billy started the Pacifica business here…it’s pretty inspiring how committed they are to the environment!

11. Sponsor a Farm Animal {various locations, see here for a huge listing}

Farm sanctuaries rescue, rehabilitate, nourish, and provide love and shelter to farm animals who had a rough start in life. Your sponsorship will help them care for and feed the animal giving it the life and respect it so deserves.

I own a few Green pots and I love that they are an eco-friendly alternative to common chemicals found on traditional non-stick bakeware. I have the casserole, covered saucepan, and a skillet. I believe Costco sells the skillets in packs of two, if I’m not mistaken.

If you are stuck on what to buy the vegan in your life (or anyone for that matter!) just head on over to Etsy. Bonus points for being able to search for local shop owners and support small business owners.

Want to know the product question I am asked the most on Oh She Glows?

—> Where did you get your glass straws?

Yes, that’s the one. I’ve been asked it so much I added it to my FAQ page. I was sent the product to review a few years ago and have been using them in my daily smoothies ever since. Can we please ditch the plastic straws once and for all?

15. Vegan food gifts

Why not give the gift of food to your loved ones this year by making food gifts yourself or by supporting local vegan bakeries? I gave a jar of my homemade Nutella as a hostess gift this weekend and it was a fun gift to give a chocolate lover.

Well, that’s a wrap. I hope you’ve enjoyed this gift guide! Until next year…

Thanks for this great list! I have been meaning to get myself a VegNews subscription for a while, and it didn’t occur to me to give it as a gift too! Also, I LOVE the vanilla bean paste idea, what a lovely gift!

Good question :) The key is to rinse them immediately after use (if you let it dry the smoothie can get stuck in the straw). So I rinse them with water and then pop them right into the dishwasher (in the utensil basket) until it’s ready to be turned on. Works fine for me. The company also has a cleaning brush you can purchase for 5 bucks, but I don’t have one.

One option if you’re getting a real tree is to pick it up from Ikea — this is what we did. A portion from the sale goes to Tree Canada, and you get a $20 coupon to use at the store in the new year. http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/tro/christmas_trees.html

What? I’m only 18 and I didn’t even realize that Home Alone is older than I am. That’s scary. Thankfully I was alive when the third one was made, so I don’t quite so young and out-of-it.

These are some awesome ideas for Christmas. My parents have actually been asking what to get me, and now I have some other things to add to my long list. The oven thermometer is probably my favorite item on that whole list because I just *know* our oven does not heat like it’s supposed to. Also adding to my list is a julienne peeler from your “How to Spiralize Vegetables” post. I NEED that in my life :)

What’s your fave food processor, Angela? Speaking of 20 years, my vintage Braun (bought when I lived in Toronto) is a little older and going to bite the dust soon. So bummed Braun is no longer manufacturing here in the US, or Canada. KitchenAid or Cuisinart seem to be the only options.

I legit feel like I watched Home Alone in the theater, like, last Christmas. Unbelievable. The soundtrack has been making my commute to work much more festive recently too!

Love your gift guide! This might sound a little odd, but I’m actually going to add some of these to MY list – people have been getting after me for one, but seriously. As an adult the idea of creating a Christmas list is more tedious than anything else! I’ll be adding a Farm Sanctuary sponsorship for sure! The bourbon vanilla paste may need a home in my cupboard too…

Man that’s crazy! I had no idea I was only 5ish when I first watched those movies. I’m not sure if I should be thanking you for pointing it out, ha ha! And I haven’t really thought about Christmas much yet (though I really should), but a lot of these look like presents I’d like to have!

LOVE LOVE LOVE all of your gift ideas. I was thinking as I was reading them, Yes I want those, yes I want that, yes this is all really great. I think you’re in my head :) Plus I really enjoyed that you put Etsy on here too. There are so many wonderful artists that have amazing ideas and have made some really great stuff! I am slightly biased as I have an etsy page too…shameless plug here www.etsy.com/stephaniehandmade I only have a few things, but there are so MANY more artists that have taken the time to create some really nice items too! Loving your blog like always and wondering when that book of yours is coming out and how the process is going so far!

Thanks for asking about the book! It’s coming along slowly but surely. The hardest part has been the photography!! Im probably going to have to reshoot so many photos at the last minute because I am not happy with a lot of them from earlier on. Im excited to have the book in my hands in 2014 though! It will all be worth it im sure.

We miss you more! We are available online for all your kitchen stuff needs and ship all over North America at very reasonable rates! And, thanks to Angela for the mention, great gift guide! Especially love the animal sponsoring idea, too.

I love the great ideas. Here in the UK nielsen massey vanilla paste is about half the price so I’m lucky enough to be able to use it regularly, but real Canadian maple syrup is super expensive! I think top of my foody Christmas list would be a nice fancy bottle of good quality maple syrup.

I think you should also add that you are not responsible for grated knuckles when cleaning the zester as well! Haha :) the things we do for food! & I have the glass bowls from C&B – absolutely love them!

My family spent Saturday night watching Home Alone 1&2! I have 2 girls that love those movies, but I had the same realization when I saw the date of 1990 on the 1st one! It’s crazy to think it’s been over 20 years….it makes me feel old to be able to say that! :)

OMG, those Home Alone facts make me feel quite old indeed! I love the vegan etsy shop ideas!! I will have to check some of those out. This year I’m making some gifts for my girlfriends. I’ve been very inspired by pinterest! hahah there are great diy bracelet ideas :)

awesome ideas, thanks! (and just an fyi …. i had my oven serviced recently, and i talked to the technician about the temp and how its off from my portable oven thermometer. he checked the temp with his fancy schmancy gadget, and the portable thermometer was WRONG yet my oven’s internal thermometer was RIGHT! he said those little portable thingys are almost always wrong. and yes, my oven WAS preheating correctly when it beeped at me, i just didnt believe it!)

I would love those mixing bowls. A great gift in terms of healthy eating would be to make up prepackaged mixes for soups or spices! I also love the idea of supporting locally. I love going to ETSY as well. It feel so good to support others. I enjoy a cookie exchange with friends and family too!

Blast! I just bought a bunch of stuff from Crate and Barrel, but I wish I’d seen those canning jars first! They had porcelain spoons on sale for 95 cents, which I thought was a super deal. I may have to place another order just for the jars though… Thanks for a great list.

I bought some Dharma straws back in the spring and I absolutely love them. The set I bought came with a cleaning brush, which was immensely useful especially if you are drinking a smoothie and your thesis writing prevents you from rinsing it immediately :)

One of my other favorite things is the Lululemon vinyasa infinity scarf. It’s so soft and comfortable. I like wearing it when I travel on planes because it’s so big that I can use it as a shawl and it keeps me warm. Here’s the link: http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-seasonal-accessories/Vinyasa-Scarf-Luon-Light?cc=4528&sli=1

I have that Vanilla Bean Paste! The exact one…so random that they stock it in the supermarkets here! I have the extract version too! :) I watch home alone 1 and 2 EVERY Christmas without fail…3 and 4 just don’t live up to the originals!

So Home Alone 2 is my absolute favourite holiday movie of all time. My husband makes fun of me for this as it’s kind of a weird choice, but alas… I love it =)
I feel slightly old now though ;p
Thanks for sharing the great gift ideas! I only really have one person to buy for this year, but she’s kind of a toughie. I’ve been hitting up craft sales as I am stuck on the idea of buying something home-made/local, and some of your ideas are great!

I am also in a total time warp when it come to movies. Some reason when I am doing math in my head to try and see how old a movie is, I still think it is the year 2000. So in this case Home Alone would only be 8 years old according to my skewed arithmetic. Then I realize I am 30 years old, and I was a kid when it came out. Reality check!
Oh and I totally asked for a VegNews subscription for Christmas, can’t wait! =)

Soooo…these are all gifts we should buy ourselves, correct? Ok, thanks!

I’ve always liked the first HA a little better than the second, but maybe I need to rewatch them. I almost added the first to my Mandatory Christmas movies list, but since we don’t own any of them I don’t watch it every year. Now that I’ve been informed I was only 7 when it came out I will just go cry!!

Oh my gosh, 22 years?!!? Gahhh that is making me feel so old now too. Granted, I was only 2 when the first one came out, but still! I love Christmas movies but the problem is that some of the ones I own are in VHS, and I only have a DVD player now! #moderndayproblems ???? LOL. These are such great gift ideas. I love the green pans you listed, and oh my gosh, anything from Anthropologie is amazing! I especially love their little jars with the chalkboard labels on them. Too cute!!

I just visited the Farm Sanctuary in LA this past Sunday! It was such a reviving experience. I grew-up in (very) rural Minnesota and moved to the LA area 5.5 years ago. I’ve missed the feeling I get when I run around the farmland with the animals. Ugh they are just too cute! I HIGHLY recommend visiting any sanctuary if you have one in your area. The animals are adorable, where I visited had cute t-shirts, etc., and your visits help keep the sanctuary going! Thanks for posting that Angela. It’s crazy to think that not a lot of people even meet a cow, pig, chicken, etc., but thankfully these places give people of all ages the ability to do so :-)

Great gift ideas, though I could have done without the wake-up call on the age of Home Alone. Yikes! lol. What’s on my list this year? This super cute vegan wallets from Hip Mountain Mama: http://www.hipmountainmama.com/lobivewa.html. Happy holidays!

Hahahhahah!! That is hilarious! I did the exact same thing; I was watching Home Alone 2 on Sunday on YTV and my jaw dropped to the floor when I heard that it came out 20 years ago. I still can’t accept that I’m no longer a teenager!

Ah! We watch Home Alone 2 every year with our friends as we put up the Christmas decorations. My husband and my best friend (who have an extra special liking to this movie) have a pair of awesomely hideous turtle dove ornaments they “share.” So glad others enjoy this holiday gem as much as we do!

Awesome post with great ideas! As testimony, I couldn’t live without my microplane zester or subscription to VegNews!!!

(PS – your No Bake Peppermint Patty Bars are a staple in my house now. I take them to every gathering I can, and my husband is always depleting our stockpile. LOVE them!!)

I am both lol-ing and also trying to keep from crying. WHERE DID MY YOUTH GO?! 22 years old…that means I am a person who is old enough to remember things that are *decades* old. You said it, “Ahh, indeed.”

This is a GREAT list, Angela! Especially the glass storage containers (WHY plastic!???), the high quality vanilla extract (makes SUCH a HUGE difference), and the microplane (how could one live without??) Happy Holidays! :D

Yeah, Titanic had their 15 year anniversary this year. I saw that and was like “no way, I wasn’t 5 when that came out”. But after a few moments, I realized, I am not 20, I am 30 and I was 15 when that came out. Oh my gosh, I am in such a time warp.